The Life of Adventure Has Its Price
by last1stnding
Summary: Going to visit Madame Vastra's household, the Doctor and Clara arrive in the wilds of Victorian England only to find some deadly enemies of his past already present. In the aftermath of utter horror, Clara finds coping elusive and keeping control shaky. Meanwhile, the Doctor has his own secret worry.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's note: The Androgums were created by Robert Holmes in the classic Doctor Who episode The Two Doctors.**_

 _ **Author's Note: The Androgum were a very nasty lot. There is nothing explicit in this story but there is implied graphic violence. Just an extra cautionary note.**_

"Doctor, we are definitely NOT at Madame Vastra's," Clara Oswald announced as she stepped outside into a gloomy, windy day. They were in the midst of some rocky outcroppings, surrounded by a few stubborn scrubby plants. A small stream ran nearby, giving the area an appearance of sweet, if bleak, serenity. It also made the temperature seem colder than it was.

"Know that already, Clara," an irritated voice came from inside the Tardis.

"Well, I'm just sayin', you might want to recheck your navigation. Recalculate, as it were." Clara said smugly. She tightened her short jacket; these Victorian clothes were long on bulk but surprisingly offered little resistance to the biting wind.

The Doctor came outside, wearing his usual ensemble, white shirt, vest, dark pants and red lined jacket, seemingly impervious to the cold. "We're on the moors of Dartmoor, looks like. Right time period though," he added, trying to salvage something of his dignity. He just knew his companion would have some sharp remark to make.

"We are **so** not going to walk to London, I hope?" Clara asked tartly.

Eyes scanning the landscape, the Doctor appeared distracted or hoped Clara would think him too involved to debate the issue. Therefore, he ignored her and brought out the sonic screwdriver to take readings.

Clara huffed. "You can pretend I'm not here if you like but I'm going to keep talking until I get an answer. How are we going to get to London, now that you've missed?"

The Doctor gave her a disdainful look. "I did not 'miss'. Sometimes the old girl takes it upon herself to direct where I should go. The Tardis hasn't done that in a while but I'm beginning to think this is one of these times."

"Yeeeah, sure, the Tardis did this." Clara scoffed. She couldn't help teasing him.

The Doctor looked long suffering. "Well, if we walk, you'd better change your shoes. Mini stilts are not needed for this. Now do I get some silence, so I can work this out?" Irritation flashed across his face.

Clara threw up her hands. "Fine, okay, know when I'm not wanted."

Rolling his eyes, the Doctor said, "That will be the day, Clara Oswald." Checking the readings of the sonic screwdriver, he made a show of being in Deep Thought.

"I'll just go look round then," Clara said haughtily. "Unless you'd like me to stay and-"

"No." The Doctor didn't even look up.

Clara shrugged. "Whatever. Going now. In my vastly inappropriate shoes."

Turning to stomp off, she suddenly stopped. Out of the proverbial nowhere, there suddenly appeared a group of the most imposing beings Clara had ever seen in her well-traveled life. They looked huge, all well over six feet tall at least and wearing leather like garments, adorned with various knives and blades. The group, about eighteen to twenty strong, stared at her, almost hungrily, Clara realized uneasily. They were humanoid, had orange eyebrows and something like huge moles on their faces. In today's age of political correctness, it wasn't cool to be judgmental but this…..

"Um, Doctor," she said warningly.

"Not now, Clara," the Doctor said, thoroughly absorbed the sonic's readings.

Clara grabbed his arm and turned him toward the newcomers. "Yes, right now."

The Doctor looked up and his look turned to distaste, with even a small hint of fear. "Oh no."

 _ **DW DW DW**_

"They are the Androgum," the Doctor said, while crowded into a small mobile cage their captors had evidently brought with them. They had been marched a considerable distance from where they landed, Clara lamenting more and more her choice of shoes. She was jammed up next to the Doctor, as the cage was filled with nine other local inhabitants.

"Figures," one elderly man said, "bloody foreigners."

A woman, perhaps his wife, was nearly hysterical. "They've come to kill us all!"

Clara waited for the Doctor to dispute that or offer some sort of reassurance. When he didn't, not even in his own abrupt way, she became very, very worried.

"Doctor," she asked urgently, "is that right?"

He rolled his eyes around to indicate they were hardly alone, everyone in the cage could hear his answer. Finally, he said reluctantly, "They have a history."

"Oh. Great." Clara thought quickly. "With you?"

The Doctor sighed; he would have liked to run his hands through his hair but there was literally no room to move. "Yes. We've met. Twice."

"And?" Clara prompted. She would have liked to take a step back, just to see his expression more clearly. Right now it was like she was wedged underneath his chin.

The Doctor almost shrugged. "I prevailed. Just barely."

Clara wasn't going to let him get away with being evasive, not this time. "Doctor, what are they? What do they want here?" She insisted.

The Doctor finally met her eyes. "Androgums live to eat, Clara. And they are not picky eaters."

Clara stared at him, wanting to hear more and, in other ways, dreading what else the Doctor might say. The other captives stirred uneasily and the Doctor surreptitiously reached for his sonic screwdriver. He could get them out of the cage easily enough but the problem was there was nowhere to run after they were free. The Androgum guards were very attentive and looked … famished.

 _ **DW DW DW**_

A short while later, the Androgum took four people from the crowded cage.

Normally, this would have been cause for some happiness; at least Clara was no longer almost standing on the Doctor's feet. (On the other hand, she missed being that close; she was warm crammed into his chest.) But it was seeing their fellow captives herded into another cage, even smaller, that disturbed her greatly.

"Wait a minute," the Doctor said with that kind of take charge attitude that worked so many times for him no matter what the situation. He waved his hands through the bars. "We need to talk. And now would be an excellent time."

One male Androgum gave him a disdainful look. "No talk. Feast. We have gone wanting for too long."

"You see, that's where you're wrong," the Doctor breezed on, seemingly oblivious to the threatening atmosphere. "You don't belong on this planet. Obviously you're here by mistake. Let me get that corrected for you and you go back to, well, wherever you gluttons hang out these days."

"Keep talking and you can join them," a young female snarled, pointing to the other captives. She continued sharpening her knife.

The other Androgum turned away and the Doctor finally used the sonic screwdriver on the door, quickly pulling it open. Clara wasn't sure of the wisdom of this, especially when he called their captors attention to it. "Look, I really don't like it when people walk off when I'm talking. I mean, it's fine if I do it to you, because you really don't know anything anyway, outside of a buffet. But when I have something to say, you should-"

Clara, who had followed him out the door, screamed a warning when an Androgum came from behind some rocks, unseen to the Doctor. The alien smashed a piece of something metallic he'd picked up nearby across the Doctor's shoulders. Then he landed a second blow alongside the Time Lord's head. The Doctor crashed to his knees and fell to one side. The sonic screwdriver fell to the ground beside him.

The others inside the cage made a break for freedom, only to be clubbed down in the same brutal way by nearby Androgum rushing over.

Clara quickly snatched up the sonic and put it in her pocket while moving to the Doctor's side. There was a vivid, ugly red mark on the side of his face and he looked stunned. To Clara, his eyes already appeared a bit glassy.

"Ohan! I did not give you permission to leave your duties. You are not called to feast. Get these prisoners back inside instantly!" An older male called angrily. "You were to be guarding these beings. They must not injure themselves; it mars the taste."

The young male looked stricken. "Yes, Leader. I crave your pardon. May all of my food spoil into eternity for my error."

The stern male called Leader looked unimpressed. "That is not enough. You will not feast tonight with the others. You will remain here, to do the duty you failed in miserably."

The younger Androgum looked crushed. He roughly slung the dazed Doctor back into the cage, Clara following quickly. She still got a hard shove in the back though and fell on top of the Doctor. The others were herded in behind them.

By the other cage, the remainder of the Androgum produced several kinds of wicked blades and hooked implements that all looked razor sharp in addition to their other assorted knives. They surrounded the cage and looked very bloodthirsty to Clara's eyes. They also talked incessantly of cooking and seasoning.

Rising, she knelt next to her friend. The Doctor was groggy but coherent. "Please tell me they aren't going to do what I think they will?" Clara asked worriedly.

Her companion did not add a false sense of security. The Doctor said in a near whisper, "Their motto is 'the gratification of pleasure is the sole motive of action.' I expect they are getting ready to please themselves." The Doctor got to his feet with her assistance, and shouted, "Hey! I still think we need to talk. I can help you; I've done it before." Wincing, he put a hand to his head. Evidently shouting was not what the Doctor needed right now.

"Have you really helped them?" Clara asked softly. Somehow she couldn't quite see the Doctor assisting these people, even though he had a long, varied history with other aliens.

The Doctor flashed a shark like smile. "Like I said, Clara, defeated them, more like. Hopefully this lot will be unaware of that fact."

Several heads turned over to them but no one wanted to lose their place at the cage. The largest male, the one who called himself Leader, barked an order. Blades and hooks were raised, to the sheer terror of those locked inside, unable to move.

Leader barked another order and a frenzied hacking began.

Clara found herself spun around and her face held against the Doctor's chest. "Don't look. There's nothing we can do for them," he said urgently.

Perversely, Clara turned for a peek and then rapidly buried her face in the Doctor's white shirt. Blood sprayed everywhere, combined with the screams of the victims and the delighted laughter of the Androgum. There was a sickly sweet smell in the air; partly the coppery smell of blood and partly something else, a smoke of some kind. She felt the Doctor's arms tighten around her. The others in their cage turned away in horror and covered their eyes.

An eternity later, it was mercifully silent again.

Clara risked another look; an oily smoke filled the cage now swinging over a small fire. Nothing remained of the victims, nothing that she could see that is, which was probably a mercy. Androgums chattered happily beside it, seemingly taste testing.

A tall, aloof female of the Androgum who had been in close consultation with Leader during the feasting, finally approached their cage and pointed at the Doctor. "Bring him," she grunted.

"What? No!" Clara was panic stricken and clutched the Doctor closer.

"Keep it together, Clara," the Doctor instructed in a low voice. He addressed the Androgum. "Look, instead of having another mass killing, we need to talk. I could probably help you if I knew what the problem was."

"I am called Engineer," the tall woman said. She held what seemed to be some sort of recorder. "Your scan indicates you are not of this planet." She gestured to the others. "Get him out!"

"Doctor," Clara said warningly. She turned her body so Engineer could not see her slip the sonic screwdriver back in his pocket.

"Maybe I can make some sort of bargain with them. At least find out what their problem is and why they are here," the Doctor replied, but even his tone lacked conviction.

The Androgum opened the cage door and a fellow captive, a young man frightened out of his wits, darted out, running for freedom. Clara watched as a male ran over and effortlessly clubbed the young man down. The Androgum produced a huge, multi bladed knife, which he raised briefly the air, before slamming down into the young man's chest. The alien twisted the knife. Clara turned away before she saw the rest.

The other Androgum roughly manhandled the Doctor out, much to her distress.

"Doctor!" Clara yelled, acutely aware of how helpless they both were in this situation. She wanted to scream, 'don't take him' but that would be pointless. A colossal loss of control without benefit.

"Don't panic," the Doctor ordered, as he was marched off to where the Leader sat nearby, with the Engineer and a guard walking beside the Time Lord. The Engineer was a good five inches taller than he was and the guard even taller.

"I can't find any good reason not to panic," Clara whispered, watching helplessly.

The Doctor disappeared into the rocks where Leader had moved, being served by the others, it seemed. Evidently the Leader only would only partake of the choice bits. The Androgum guard and Engineer stayed close behind the Time Lord the entire way.

 _ **DW DW DW**_

Facing a circle of hostile faces, the Doctor knew the odds were against him. Naturally, he chose the strategy he always did: full steam ahead.

"I am really curious as to how you got here," he said briskly, ignoring the disdain on Leader's face and the contented gluttons around him. "Time travel is not in the Androgum playbook; piloting a spaceship isn't either. So why are you here?"

"Time Lords have always coveted time travel to themselves. Our great leader Chessene thirsted for the knowledge of the Time Lords and she was cruelly struck down. Since the demise of Gallifrey however; such knowledge is more readily available, particularly on the frontier rim." Engineer informed him, while fiddling with her scanner.

"Oh, I'll bet that's quality stuff then," the Doctor scoffed. Inwardly, he winced. _This lot knew of Chessene?_

"We do not answer to you," Leader replied with some heat. "Our ship brought us to this planet and this time. We have sampled the local cuisine and find it pleasing to our tastes. We may stay. Our scans indicate this world has a nearly unlimited food supply, of many different species."

The Doctor sighed, glancing up to the darkening sky, where the first stars could be seen. _He belonged up there. But there was always something else in the way._ "I'm sorry; you cannot stay here."

Leader shrugged. "We cannot leave now in any event; our ship has malfunctioned. Our time chronometer has failed to activate. But we Androgum are a hardy race; we shall flourish here on this primitive planet."

"Look, I can help you with that," the Doctor said urgently, waving his hands. "Let me take a look; I can probably cobble something together that will allow you to leave. At any rate, you cannot keep on killing the local inhabitants. The authorities really do frown on that here, you know."

Engineer, who had been studiously working with her scanner, walked closer to Leader and wordlessly held out the device for him to see. Then they both turned to the Doctor, hatred in their eyes.

"Seize him," Leader snapped.

 _ **DW DW DW**_

Darkness fell and later two Androgum brought in three more captives. A terrified young couple and an old woman who kept talking of dark spirits and witches.

Clara spent her time looking for the Doctor but they had taken him out of sight. She had finally noticed in the rocks a short distance away a very alien spaceship, looking like it was about to be scrapped by the exterior at least. Pitted and blackened, it was in desperate shape and she now knew where the guard had gotten that chunk of metal he'd used on the Doctor earlier.

She was exhausted but there was no room to sit in the cage and Clara declined to lean against any of her companions, all of whom looked upon her with acute distrust, assuming she was aristocracy and therefore responsible.

The long wait came to end at dawn.

First, the Androgum took the four more out of the cage, pointedly skipping over Clara, and marched them to the gory looking cage of the slaughter. They sharpened their knives or iron hooks, exulting over their good fortune. The attack began. She gathered by the remarks that the Androgum were starved for fresh food from a long journey in space and weren't standing on ceremony, to the sorrow of some of the group, who wanted proper preparation time.

Clara tried to turn away but some perverse compulsion kept her watching with road accident fascination until later a member of the Androgum relit some ceremonial smoke pots and the cage was swung over the flames once again. Clara kept staring, for the indelible images of violent death were now seared into her soul, while the Androgum feasted happily.

She choked from the smoke that now drifted into their cage, wondering when her time would come. More importantly though, was her acute fear for the Doctor's safety. What was happening? What had they done with him? With any sort of rational race, she would bet he could talk his way out of danger or at least stop the insane killing. But the Androgum did not seem rational in the least.

Suddenly, shouting and sounds of a dispute erupted after the latest feast. _'Maybe it's not him. Maybe they just got into a fight of their own,'_ Clara thought wildly. But of course, it was **him**. She could finally see the tops of heads over the rocks and, not for the first time, she wished she was taller.

"You are responsible for the deaths of Chessene and Shockeye, of the ancient clan Quanzine Grig. You will pay with your life!" The Leader shouted, his voice carrying while he deliberately incited the other Androgum to a killing rage. The aliens, it seemed, were capable of getting emotional over other things rather than just food.

One of the elder Androgum however, was not impressed. "He's far too skinny to make a good meal!" He yelled. "Such a meager offering would shame my table."

"If you had a table," the Doctor shot back. "Instead, it looks like feeding time for sharks here. Whatever happened to the great chefs of the universe?" He glared fiercely as the Androgum taunted him.

"He's killed clan members, he doesn't deserve the honor of feeding us," one young Androgum male opined, posturing to the obvious admiration of a young female, who licked her lips contently.

Amidst much jeering and cursing, the Doctor was led away to the clearing, his hands bound behind him. True to form, he was still yelling at both the Leader and Engineer, until one of the executioners darted out from alongside the gruesome cage, a four bladed knife in hand.

He looked at Leader, who nodded benignly. The young Androgum plunged his knife into the Doctor's side.

"Death to all enemies of the Androgum!" Leader shouted, raising his arm. The others roared their approval.

Clara screamed and pushed up to the bars, reaching through them futilely.

The Doctor staggered and fell to one knee. The other Androgum rushed to roughly pick him up and shove him into the execution cage. He stood, leaning to one side on the slippery floor, gasping for breath.

Clara was shouting, crying and cursing, everything she could do just to get his attention. Or anybody's attention. If the Doctor were to die, then she should die with him. It was her destiny and it was what she wanted. "Oi! I wouldn't want you to go on a diet on my account! Take me with him. You gluttons can pig out on the two of us!"

The Androgum did not deign to hear her but the Doctor glanced her way, regret on his face. "Only bad choices, Clara," he shouted. He glared at the gloating faces surrounding him. "Androgums always were treacherous. And stupid. But you stay there!" He added, giving his friend a final look.

"No!" Clara yelled back, only to be ignored by all. Hot tears burned her eyes as they prodded the Doctor through the sides.

Evidently, he was to be given a different send off from the others. The Androgum affixed another cable through the top and then began to raise the entire cage up the tall rock face.

"Oh, the poor soul," the young woman beside Clara said sadly. "The bog is on the other side of those rocks."

"No. This can't happen. Not like this," Clara said firmly.

An older man looked at her like she was daft. "Looks like it is, yer ladyship."

The cage swung wildly and the Doctor fell to his knees, unable to retain his balance. The cage crashed into the rocks several times and the Androgum took great delight each time the Doctor rolled into the side of the cage pounding the rocks.

At the top, the door swung open, the cage tilted and the Doctor fell out, unable to break his fall. The Androgum roared their approval. Some indicated they would walk over to see where he fell, after they ate, of course.

Clara watched dry eyed until the stupid ceremonial smoke pots started up again. She couldn't and wouldn't cry. Not here, not now.

 _This cannot be happening. First Danny, now the Doctor. Was she destined to lose all of the men in her life?_

She still didn't cry though, not even when they came for her in midmorning.


	2. Chapter 2

Clara was roughly prodded toward the bloody cage by jeering Androgum, several speculating on how much meat was actually on her. They also argued about their shoves and jabs leaving bruises; the taste would be compromised. She didn't hear them. She wasn't even afraid. She was just so very alone. Lost in her own dark thoughts, Clara did not at first notice the sudden silence, the general scurrying around nor the whine of a blaster fire. Two Androgums fell beside her and she barely noticed. Finally, a voice penetrated the miserable fog of her thoughts.

"Clara!" Come to me." Like an avenging angel, Madame Vastra motioned her over with her eyes, as one hand held a blaster, the other a heavy sword on the hostiles that surrounded Clara.

Sill numb with horror, Clara could hardly process the words. She had rarely felt like this before; paralyzed with fear, trauma and revulsion. _Where was the Doctor? Where was the Doctor? I have to be with him._ Nothing else penetrated her thoughts. She could not accept that he was drowned in the bog. Not him. That was far too ordinary for her swashbuckling hero. Anything else was just too unfair.

Her feet seemingly anchored in cement, she was oblivious to the muttering and restless shifting of the alien Androgums who had taken everything from her. It was obvious they longed to finish the gruesome meal they had been cheated out of. They were also calculating the odds of attacking this strange female who appeared in their midst.

Vastra stood at the ready but she was not favorably impressed by the odds. Fifteen to one was difficult even while fighting alien apes. "Clara, you must move now!" She shouted loudly, trying to break the trance Clara was in.

There was an inhuman war cry from behind the rocks and suddenly Strax charged into view, brandishing his Sontaran gun and yelling 'Sondar Ha' at the top of his voice. He skidded to an uncertain halt when he observed the stalemate in front of him; Vastra making no move and a large group of sullen Androgum standing around. He asked in acute disappointment, "Have the crawling scum surrendered, Madame?"

"Not yet, Strax," Vastra replied with a cold smile. "They seem to be taking far too long about it." She raised a communicator to her lips. "Jenny, I have Clara with me now, safe. He can continue to work on the ship."

"That's good news," Jenny's voice sounded clear and relieved. "Now maybe he'll settle down!"

Strax raised his weapon, unclipped a grenade and barred his teeth. "I shall now annihilate you galaxy crawling scum with acid grenades and set my weapon to pulverize-" suddenly he broke off. "Boy! What are you doing there? You are endangering our tactical advantage!" Glancing at Vastra, he asked in almost comic bewilderment, "Has the boy Clara turned traitor? If so, I will-"

"No, no, Strax," Vastra hurried to cut off the Sontaran's lurid list of options for punishing traitors. She chided herself for being slow; too much time spent with monkeys, she imagined. Now, it was obvious what Clara's problem was. Once in a great while early in their relationship, Jenny acted the same when faced with a gruesome crime scene. "Clara," she softened her tone, slowly and carefully advancing to the girl, "you must come and stand by me." _Time to play her ace_. " **He** will be here shortly."

Clara raised her gaze and sudden wild hope shone in her eyes.

"Yes, child," Vastra smiled. "The Doctor is alive. These alien scum could never kill him. Jenny is with him now. We found him on the moor, going back to get you."

The spell broken, Clara flew to Vastra's side. Vastra spared her a quick, if unnerving, smile, that was more like a baring of teeth. "All of you shall march back to your substandard ship in front of us. Strax, have you freed the other prisoners in the cage?"

"Yes, Madame. And they ran off like cowards, not even stopping to avenge their honor. It was disgusting."

Vastra shrugged. "Not surprising. We, however, have more important tasks to accomplish. You take the left, I shall guard the right." With one hand, she moved Clara slightly behind her. Ready?"

Strax looked put out; his normal look actually. "Madame, please. This human vermin-"

"They are aliens, Strax."

"Alien human vermin, march! It will be my great pleasure to vaporize any dishonored scum who tries to escape!" Strax had clearly decided to make the best of the miserable situation.

Incredibly, two did try and Strax obliterated them with great glee. The others sulkily fell in and began to shuffle back to their own ship.

Vastra kept a close watch, not only on their prisoners but on Clara as well. The girl had not even reacted when Strax had shot down the would be escapees. On an earlier visit to Mrs. Gillyflower's gruesome factory, Clara had afterward mentioned a phrase popular in her own time, a 'thousand yard stare', as she termed it. It meant great shock, almost a detachment of self from the body due to extreme trauma, either physical or psychological or both, as Vastra understood it. At any rate, it was now certain Clara had suffered such a shock.

At last they were at the top of the small rocky hill, looking down in the valley at the partially wrecked alien spaceship. Jenny stood near the ramp, keeping close watch on three prisoners of her own.

"Jenny!" Vastra shouted down, "we have more for your collection."

"Right then. Bring them down and join the party," Jenny yelled back.

While Strax prodded the party on, Clara stood in uncertainty. **He** was there all right. Not the Doctor, but the hateful, arrogant, cold blooded Leader who had so callously ordered all of those innocent people be put to death. It was so surreal, to see him again, not in a position of control this time, but guarded very carefully by one Jenny Flint. The world swirled around Clara; ugly, cruel and chaotic. For her, however, there was only emptiness and a roaring silence.

Vastra touched her arm. "Come Clara, we are almost there." She said briskly. Her patience was not unlimited and it was time for Clara to snap out of this.

 _Almost there? Where? Where was there? And where was the Doctor?_ Clara had begun to panic; what if they had lied to her? Maybe just a benign lie to get her moving? Maybe the ugly, horrible truth lay below? In her eye, she saw only the hateful beings responsible for suffering and gruesome deaths. And the Doctor dying one of those deaths.

 _For heaven's sake, stop it! Get a grip._

Vastra had shouted something to Jenny when they reached the ship and Clara thought she heard Jenny say something about 'going to get him.'

Jenny disappeared inside the ship when Strax had moved forward in order to cover the remaining three. Clara stared at the Leader; a curious combination of fear, horror and hate, yes, **hate** , churning inside her. This man, this Androgum, had sent the Doctor to his death. Or tried to. By the look of his expression, he didn't regret a thing. All of those innocent people dying horribly and not only he doesn't care, he's proud of it.

Feeling a great surge of anger, Clara wanted to scratch out the eyes of the 'Leader'. He had caused this. _He should pay._

"Clara! Clara, come over here!" Jenny shouted from a great distance away, it seemed.

"It would be easier on him if you went to him, my dear," Vastra's voice said in her ear.

"Clara! Are you all right?"

She knew that voice! Her eyes left the face of the hateful alien and went to the spaceship.

The Doctor was slowly moving toward her. He walked slightly hunched to one side with a hand pressed against the same side and his clothes were encrusted with dried mud but he was alive.

Clara's feet moved of their own volition, stumbling and sliding over loose rock. She ignored Strax's scolding as she momentarily moved into his line of fire. She didn't care. _The Doctor was here. Gloriously alive._

When Clara moved closer, she suddenly stopped. The wind caused the Doctor's jacket to flare out and, with acute dread, she saw the right side of his white shirt matched the crimson of his jacket lining. It was soaked with blood. His blood. _God, he was dying after all._ She couldn't take her eyes off of his shirt. The blood, with its slight orangeish tint, brought home just how close she came to losing him.

The Doctor stopped too, confusion on his face when he looked at her. He followed her gaze downward, seemingly a bit surprised at the blood. In truth, he had forgotten about it, except for the pain that chose inconvenient times to remind him. And the occasional dizzy spells. But there was no time to stop and analyze the damage.

Meeting's Clara's gaze, the Doctor said evenly, "Clara, I am all right. I'm healing as we speak. Surely you didn't think these pudding brained aliens were going to kill me."

When he saw Clara's eyes lift to his, the Doctor simply held out one arm.

With a small cry, Clara ran to him, clutching him, small sobs escaping from her. She turned her face in his chest, not wanting to see or care about anybody else. The Doctor's arm was around her shoulders and he held her close. She held him until she inadvertently touched his wounded side and he couldn't help the sharp intake of breath.

Clara mumbled 'sorry' into his chest and adjusted her grip but didn't let go and didn't look up.

The Doctor looked at the Paternoster trio over Clara's head. "What happened here?"

"From what this bloke says," Jenny said disdainfully at one of the Androgum standing in front of her gun, "they all thought you were dead, Doctor. Truly dead, this time."

"They were also about to consume her," Vastra added.

Looking down, the Doctor stared at the top of his companion's head. "Oh, Clara, my Clara. What I wouldn't give so you wouldn't have to go through that."

"It seems they have executed several others for some time now, in the most barbaric fashion, I might add. This is why we came up here to investigate. We found the Tardis nearby and split up to search." Vastra paused, glaring at the assembled group. "Jenny and Strax found you and I located Miss Clara."

The Doctor turned his most withering look on the alien closest to him, the self-important Engineer. "If you Androgums could stop thinking with your stomachs for thirty seconds, I would have repaired your ship, just to get you out of here. Instead, you don't like my methods and decide to kill me. Then, you include Clara on the menu, for which I will never forgive or forget, just for the record. All of this treachery and murder is making it extremely difficult for me not to kill you right here and now."

"Excellent idea! Do not fight the notion," Strax urged, only to be hushed by Jenny and somewhat reluctantly by Vastra.

"As long as you repaired our ship, I was not in favor of killing you. Yet. But when I saw on my scanner of Deeds Past, you were the one responsible for the deaths of two of our most celebrated clan members. It became a matter of honor. When we mastered the secrets of the Deeds Past machine, we learned you change your face and body. We immediately made a sacred vow to feast on you. However," the Engineer leered, "your earlier self had a lot more flesh on him. We would have devoured you instantly if you still had that body. You would have made a fine main dish." She sniffed. "In any case, the girl meant nothing. Also, she mocked our ways."

"I'm sure she found plenty to mock," the Doctor said shortly, suspecting that Clara had done nothing of the kind. "Androgums are so obvious; waste of effort to observe you lot trying to be convincing with a lie. When you got rather huffy about my proposed modifications to your ship and eating habits, it didn't take much to figure out how this would end. With or without the history between us. You are not renowned for your integrity." He glanced down at Clara, whose face was still hidden in his shirt. His voice roughened. "My execution was almost real enough. But my friend here gave me my sonic screwdriver back. Oh," he briefly addressed the others, "I also need to look up Harry Houdini one of these days; excellent escape tips on the rope." The Doctor's voice went deadly soft, so unlike his usual yelling. "What you did to me was bad enough and I'm used to this sort of idiocy from pudding brains. And Clara has seen quite a bit herself. But what you have done here is beyond all bounds of decency. It makes you monsters and I do know what to do with them, I promise you. As to your ship repairs," his face lit up with an evil grin, "I have made some modifications. In fact, I'm almost finished."

The Doctor gently tried to disengage himself from Clara but she would not let go. He threw a slightly helpless look at Vastra.

"There is no rush," Vastra said in an oily tone. "We can easily detain these… beings here."

Jenny turned to give him a gentle smile as she looked at Clara. "I think you're needed elsewhere right now, Doctor."

"You can put them in their sorry ship. You do realize that the old Banalese always built rubbish ships, right?" the Doctor remarked, favoring both the Leader and Engineer with an insolent stare. "Anyway, I've made some changes for you. I've disabled all internal controls. And forget using that ragged time vortex chronometer, which is totally inoperative by the way. Love to know where you got that. Hope you didn't pay too much for it; shoddy workmanship there."

"You cannot tamper with our ship!" Leader thundered.

The Engineer spluttered her indignation amidst exclamations of 'that can't be done' and 'overriding fail safes.'

"Shut up!" The Doctor snapped. "Your ship is as simple and brutal as you. I'm sure you stole it from somebody else; it is a conglomeration of patch job repairs, none of them very good. Doctor Dastari told me a long time ago Androgums were lowly, unthinking beings of instinct. I guess it is a miracle you can now work a scanner. Evolution comes to the Androgums; what a concept. Oh well." His eyes flashed. "You will soon be leaving on a long, nonstop journey."

One of the prisoners shouted, "You will kill us all!"

"Don't tempt me," the Doctor shot back in an icy tone.

The Paternoster gang herded the surly prisoners into their ship, unmoved by occasional demands for fresh food supplies. The Doctor watched silently until he felt a wave of light headedness pass over him. He staggered a bit and found Clara looking up at him with fear and dread on her face. She held up her hand, smeared with his blood, eyes bulging in the way that always disconcerted him.

"Yes, it is bleeding again," the Doctor sighed. He was sure a scolding would follow. "I was too busy and had too much to do to stop. Needed to get their ship repaired and reprogrammed to get them out of here." Clara's expression remained unnervingly blank, so he added gently, "Right now though, I really would like to sit down. What remains to be done can be completed out here."

Clara blinked. Once. "Okay."

A nearly silent Clara was a novel experience and not nearly as enjoyable as the Doctor thought it might be. With her still attached to him, he turned to leave, only to find the Leader glaring at him. "If it takes my life, I shall repay you for this, Time Lord."

"Oh, that is too bad. I so wanted to part friends with a homicidal idiot who thinks only of his next meal," the Doctor snapped.

The Engineer moved to stand by the fuming Leader. "You will show me what you have done to our ship?" She asked haughtily.

"No."

"This is not fair. I must know," the Engineer insisted.

"I said nothing about being fair, did I?" the Doctor asked Jenny.

"No, Doctor, you did not," Jenny replied briskly. "Were you planning on being fair?"

Glancing at Clara's unnerving blank stare, the Doctor said simply. "No." His face could have been carved in granite. Facing the Leader and Engineer, he continued, "You have plenty of supplies. Primarily, the prepackaged stuff you already had. It will keep you alive but knowing your appetites, not satisfied. I have programmed your ship to continue on until you return to your home planet. Sorry about the timeline; your new place will be pretty primitive, I imagine. Not my responsibility to return you to the proper time though; you mucked that up on your own. I have also locked your navigational controls. No unscheduled stops. No more invading peaceful planets and murdering the natives to have a banquet. Your hyper drive engines will fire two bursts, one to get you out of this system and one to send you out to the frontier rim of the galaxy. You have just enough power to get there. It will be a very long trip. Some of you will die of old age. You will have the company of just yourselves for a very long time. If you get bored, you can always sacrifice one of your own." He smiled coldly. "Now get out of here."

Vastra was pleased. "Excellent." She prodded the Leader and Engineer on to where Strax was watching the remainder of the group embark on their ship. Turning back to the Doctor, she added, "We will secure them and you can send these murderous fools on their way. Then Jenny will prepare our meal and Strax can check your wound again."

Strax turned round. "Doctor! Do you need my assistance? I can do another preliminary scan-"

The Engineer suddenly broke free, shoving Strax to the ground in a surprising show of strength, to make a run at the Doctor.

"You murderer! You foul being!" She produced a large multi bladed knife, identical to the one that had so wounded him earlier.

Vastra suddenly moved in front of her and the woman virtually impaled herself on the chest high blade of the reptilian woman. "My goodness, I seem to have killed her," Vastra said mildly, looking none too upset about it as Engineer slumped to the ground.

"Accidents happen, Ma'am," Jenny remarked calmly.

The Leader tried to emerge from the ship, shouting furiously. "You are sentencing us to death! I demand to die with honor."

"I would be delighted to carve out your guts for the eternal glory and honor of the Sontaran Empire," Strax said smartly, back on his feet and angry at being surprised, while shoving the Leader back inside.

Clara made no comment other than tightening her grip on the Doctor. She did not see the Engineer's charge, choosing not to look. For all she cared, they could stab her trying to get to the Doctor. She would not let go, no matter what. The Doctor exchanged a long look with Vasta and decided not to comment, really having no idea what to say at any rate.

Instead he gave Clara a careful squeeze around her shoulders. "Want to help me with the ignition code?"

Clara nodded once but the Doctor felt like he could have said help me cut their throats and his companion would have agreed. Wordlessly he moved to the impromptu table littered with alien parts that Jenny had set up earlier. Clara moved with him, never relinquishing her hold until he sat down. Then, she sat as close as possible.

 ** _Chapter Three coming soon._**


	3. Chapter 3

The Doctor felt like he had taken forever with the final calculations; his head was aching and he felt leaden with exhaustion. In reality however, it was only an hour later when he ordered Vastra, Jenny and Strax clear from the ship. Glancing at Clara, who sat mesmerized looking at his hands, he said, "Want to wish them bon voyage?"

"No. I hope they all die," Clara replied flatly.

The Doctor almost shrugged but a sudden pull in his side convinced him to put that idea away. "The way they maintain their ship, it's not beyond the realm of possibility. Motioning Vastra, Jenny and Strax well clear, he pushed the button, the engines fired to life and the ground shook as the Androgum ship blasted off.

"We should have annihilated them," Strax grumbled. "Two nuclear fragmentation bombs combined with chlorine gas grenades would have done the trick."

Weary, the Doctor pinched the bridge of his nose. "I need to get to the Tardis and bring it back here."

Vastra intervened. "Old friend, are you sure you are well enough? Let us eat and rest tonight. Tomorrow we can plan our next move and arrange transportation."

"I can get the Tardis and transport all of us back to London," the Doctor said stubbornly. Clara's behavior was beginning to unnerve him and he wanted to get her out of here as soon as possible.

"Tomorrow," Vastra's tone was pleasant but firm. "Strax can go with you." When the Doctor started to protest, she stopped him. "It is clear you are unwell. You are very pale and extremely fatigued." Vastra stepped closer and spoke softly, "Strax can do a thorough examination of your wound when you reach the Tardis. You can also change your shirt. Miss Clara may have a relapse if she sees you still drenched in all of that delicious blood tomorrow."

Giving Vastra a sharp look at her almost obvious lip smacking and seeing Clara's worried stare, the Doctor gave in. "Perhaps you are right."

 _DW DW DW DW_

Clara Oswald was dreaming. A disjointed hazy jumble of scenarios, all of them frightening and strange. She knew something terrible was happening but when she tried to focus it seemed a veil dropped over her eyes and she could only hear sounds and screams.

Suddenly the focus sharpened and she saw the Doctor, hands tied behind him and his side gushing blood, being shoved into the horrible cage which would lead to his death as it had the other local inhabitants foolish enough to venture out on the moor to see what the strange light was.

The Doctor turned, nodded once to Clara. The Androgum set upon him with their knives and blades in frenzy.

Cara screamed and shot bolt upright in her blankets. Disoriented, she couldn't figure out where she was. Everything was dark and strange.

Jenny Flint came on a run. "Miss Clara, what is it? Are you all right?"

Clara looked round wildly. She was in the area where the Androgum ship had lifted off. Dawn was only breaking on the hilltops but their camp was still dark and cold. Their little fire was almost out. Glancing up into Jenny's friendly, familiar face, Clara still felt the icy fear of the nightmare. Disturbingly, she could not see the Doctor.

"Jenny, where is he? I know he's injured! We have to find him!"

"The Doctor is fine," Jenny soothed, not in the least puzzled by her questions. "He left a short time ago, with Strax. They've gone to fetch the Tardis. Madame Vastra has also gone, to leave our rented horses in a nearby farm. Madame quite likes these primitive places. I suspect she's gone hunting as well and I, for one, am quite happy to leave her to it."

Clara struggled to clear her mind; the nightmare was still so vivid. "But the Doctor, he's okay? I mean, should he be up and running around to get the Tardis? He was so tired last night." There was no need to mention that neither she nor the Doctor ate anything either.

"Strax said he was already beginning to heal, Miss. He has done some treatment with that gadget he has. And you know the Doctor; he's not going to be separated from his blue box for long."

Vastra appeared around the rocks, smiling when she saw Clara awake. "Good morning, all. It is wonderful to see you awake, Clara Oswald. How are you this fine morning?"

Clara gathered her thoughts. It was one thing to show weakness to Jenny, another entirely to Madame Vastra. _Get it together._ With a gigantic effort, she said, "I'm better. Well, I'm pretty sure I am." She stretched her arms cautiously. "I'm certainly not as sore as yesterday." Her forehead furrowed. "That was fast."

Vastra sat down next to Jenny and their small fire. "Strax has his uses."

Jenny nodded to Clara. "She is worried about the Doctor."

"He is recovering," Vastra said firmly. "It could have been disastrous if Strax had not found him first. But his recovery may take longer than he wishes it would. He did lose a lot of blood."

Clara felt the trill of panic again. "Oh no. This is a problem, isn't it? I mean, it's not like you can find Time Lord blood at the local blood bank."

"Strax has a synthetic compound which the Doctor can use, albeit in very limited doses, until his body can rebound."

"He shouldn't be out walking around," Clara sulked. _He shouldn't be out walking without_ _ **me**_ _, that is._

Vastra clicked her teeth. "Strax pronounced him able. Otherwise, we would have prevailed upon him to wait a bit before setting out."

Jenny reached over and touched her hand. "He was very worried about you, Clara. That's why he left so early to fetch the Tardis." She glanced pointed to the blankets Clara had been sleeping. Only then did Clara realize there was more than enough room for two there earlier.

"Oh." Feeling foolish, Clara blushed. "No wonder I didn't get cold last night," she said and then blushed even more when she realized how **that** sounded.

"Come, a cup of tea will brace us all. We shall break camp after we eat and await the arrival of the Tardis," Vastra announced.

 _DW DW DW_

They had nearly finished eating (Clara had a bit of bread.) when the familiar groaning of the Tardis sounded, materializing nearby. Smiling for the first time in a very long while it seemed, Clara moved toward the blue box as the Doctor stepped out.

"Clara! How are you?"

For a moment, Clara simply stood and studied him closely. The Doctor looked awful. The only color on his face was a deep violet bruise on his cheekbone. His eyes were shadowed and his whole posture bespoke of pain and exhaustion.

Strax came out of the Tardis and looked around, irritated. "What, camp is not broken? Such a lack of displicine should not be tolerated," he said as he stomped around the Doctor and went to help Jenny.

Her silence was beginning to unnerve the Doctor, who was mentally running down a list of what he might have done wrong. At this point, it was habit. But it was also worrying. "Clara, you are all right, aren't you?" He started to reach for his sonic screwdriver.

"You're alive." Clara let out a shaky sigh. "Thank God, you are alive." She moved closer, drinking in the sight of him. "I was so afraid I would lose you." She moved closer, eyes questioning.

The Doctor sighed, much put upon. "This is getting to be a habit," he grumbled. His eyes gleamed however and he held out his arm and she slipped under it to carefully hug him.

"Why don't you two go inside," Vastra said kindly. "It will only take us a few minutes to gather our things and we can leave this blighted place." The Doctor and Clara both nodded their thanks and went inside the Tardis.

"Poor Clara," Jenny said, watching as Clara never let go of the Doctor, "She is horribly upset over this."

"It would appear so," Vastra remarked. "However, as I learned from previous visits, Miss Clara Oswald is much stronger than she looks. When she sees the Doctor recover, she will feel better."

"Madame," Strax puffed behind them, "the Doctor is most anxious to remove Miss Clara from this dark place, her being a weak human woman easily frightened by-"

"Oi!" Jenny said tartly.

"Are you people coming or not?" The Doctor demanded from the Tardis doorway. He moved to pick up a couple of bedrolls that Jenny had stacked but Vastra beat him to it. "We haven't got all day," he complained.

"Coming, Doctor, coming," Vastra replied. When the Doctor went back inside, she told Jenny, "He is in his usual state of patience."

Jenny smiled. "Just like old times."

 _ **DW DW DW**_

That evening they were all comfortably ensconced back at Madame Vastra's , sitting at the dining table, purportedly eating a meal. Clara however, rarely touched her food, choosing instead to study the Doctor. Her appetite was still very limited at best. The Doctor was eating (a little) and conversing with Vastra, seemingly none the worse for being dumped into a bog, as he finally admitted he had been thrown in but thankfully, near a rocky edge of the mire. But he did look exhausted and it was obvious he was nearing the end of his reserves, even with that vaunted Time Lord durability. Something was 'off' about him and for a bit, Clara couldn't figure out what. Finally she noticed he wasn't using his hands except to eat; this version of her Doctor talking without his hands in the air was just wrong. He even sat stiffly.

"Clara! Are you all right?" The Doctor asked, staring at her with concern.

Cheeks flaming, Clara belatedly realized everyone was staring at her, even Strax. "Oh, sorry. Wasn't concentrating."

The Doctor continued to study her. "I can see that. What I can't understand is why? **I** was talking."

Something about his words pierced her mental fog. Catching the gleam in his eye, Clara replied demurely, "I think that was the reason why I drifted, actually.

Vastra and Jenny snickered and the Doctor glowered, although the fondness on his face belied his annoyed expression. "Ah, fine. Keep your little mind small," he snarked.

"Perhaps Strax could be prevailed upon to draw you a hot bath," Vastra remarked.

Clara looked alarmed, knowing how Strax liked to multipurpose his water. "I don't want to be any trouble."

"I have to monitor the Doctor's condition at any rate," Strax announced importantly.

"What? No, no, not again." The Doctor was annoyed, for real this time. "I am feeling fine."

"Thanks to my ministrations," Strax broke in smugly.

"Look, potato brain, I don't need you hovering over me. Besides, I suspect it was Time Lord genetics, not your blundering around. Go, do the dishes or something," the Doctor shot back, only to flinch when he brought up his hands to make a point.

"Let's indulge him, Doctor. He is easier for me to handle if I let him do something important once in a while," Vastra urged.

The Doctor blustered on for a bit until a telling glare from Clara, plus a growing fatigue, forced him go upstairs with a triumphant Strax, who had laughed off all the insults in his own peculiar way.

Jenny took over the bath duty and pampered Clara with scented bath water, French soap and candles. Jenny had been a ladies maid once earlier in life and she confessed to Clara she missed some of it, Vastra having no hair to style. Despite her anxieties, Clara felt so relaxed it was an effort to get out and get ready for bed.

She bypassed her room however and headed for the Doctor's, as she assumed he would be in the same one as before. When Jenny started to say something, Clara held up a hand. "I just want to see him. Just to make sure."

When they arrived, Vastra and Strax were just coming out.

Clara felt a flash of annoyance. _What? Everyone could take care of him but me?_ Instead, she asked, "How is he?"

"The Doctor is progressing splendidly, even though the wound is rather deep." Strax gave them a frosty look. "He needs rest. "

Vastra looked at Jenny, eyes questioning. "Is there a problem?"

"She just wants a quick peek at him," Jenny explained.

"He is asleep," Vastra said firmly. So firmly Clara wondered if she had used that mind touch thing that had knocked the Doctor out so effectively after his regeneration.

Seeing Clara's mulish expression, obviously backed by Jenny, Vastra sighed and gave in. "Very well." She opened the door quietly and Clara went inside.

The Doctor lay huddled in bed, blanket nearly over his head. For a moment, Clara was struck by déjà vu; he was just like he was in that drafty barn as a boy on Gallifrey. She carefully reached out and stroked his hair a couple of times. He never stirred.

Turning, she walked softly back to where the others waited. "Thank you. I'm ready to sleep now."

 _ **DW DW DW**_

After a restless night filled with terrible visions, Clara slept in the next morning. When she awoke, she was stunned at just how long she had slept after she had finally fallen asleep at dawn. The blackness of the night had seemed to jangle her nerves and every time she closed her eyes…. It was bad.

When she started to dress, Clara was not happy to see lingering, horrific images of yesterday and last night jump back in her mind, in terrifying detail. She was determined to shake that off today though. Yesterday she had been in a mental fog, everything except acute worry about the Doctor, was blurry and fearful. In some way, Clara felt embarrassed by her actions of yesterday, clinging and nearly whimpering. This was not the way she did things with the Doctor. They didn't run and they didn't lose their nerve. They defeated the evil and moved on. It was the proper way of the universe, really.

In the back of her mind though, Clara did wonder if the Doctor had ever had to leave a companion behind because they just couldn't take it anymore. It was not a comforting thought as she hurriedly dressed. As best as one could hurry in Victorian garb, that is.

She studied her reflection in the mirror and took a deep breath. Today was different. _Get it under control._ Vastra, Jenny, even Strax, would see that Miss Clara Oswald was just fine today, thank you very much. Most especially, the Doctor would see that she was back to her old self, full of barbed comments and orders. The return of the unjustly labeled control freak, to her mind, at least.

Speaking of, finding him was the first order of business. Clara was still worried about the Doctor, knowing full well his ability to ignore or downplay any serious injury that happened to him. It was the trivial things he whined about.

To her great surprise however, the Doctor was not in the dining room, where Jenny and Vastra were eating and Strax serving.

"About time, Miss Clara," Strax grumbled. "When we go on campaign together, you must not be sluggardly or relax your guard. You will give the enemy an immense tactical advantage!"

Clara barely paid any attention. "Pretend I was on leave," she said briskly. She addressed Jenny and Vastra. "Where is the Doctor?"

"He is still asleep," Jenny replied. "I just checked on him a few minutes ago."

"Asleep?" Now Clara was alarmed. "Are you sure he is all right? He never sleeps for very long."

"He is healing," Vastra said calmly. "The Doctor did lose a significant quantity of blood and Strax informs me that synthetic blood cannot wholly replace what was lost."

"The Doctor is unable to tolerate large transfusions of the XK45-84 strain, which is the latest synthetic blood available. He will be weak for several days at least until his system can build up again," Strax informed her pompously, relishing his position of Informed Expert.

Clara frowned; a shadow of that raw terror crept back into her mind and suddenly she had a flash of irrational fear. _Perhaps the Doctor was indeed dead and they weren't telling her._

 _Stop it. Control it._ She was among friends here. Enough with the hysteria. Still a quick look wouldn't hurt.

Vastra seemed to read her thoughts. "Perhaps we should let him rest. The Doctor awoke briefly when I was in the room earlier. He is fine, although tired and weak. He does worry so about you, Clara. I fear if you were to enter his room, he would sense your presence and awake again. Perhaps you should help Jenny with the marketing today. I'm sure she could use some company."

Jenny gave her a warm smile. "Oh, I certainly could. Some of the local harvests have started to come in. We should have a fine selection."

Clara wasn't thrilled with the idea. She had planned to stay close to the Doctor all day, no matter what. "I thought I'd stay close, you know, in case the Doctor needs something."

"Do not concern yourself," Vastra said with the air of an order. "Strax will be driving you and Jenny but I shall stay close by in the event he does need something. You need to get out and get some air, Clara. When you return, I'm sure the Doctor will be anxious to see you."

 _ **DW DW DW**_

Surprisingly, Clara did find shopping with Jenny diverting and even though the Doctor was never far from her mind, it was a fun experience, grocery shopping in Victorian times far different than her own era. Public Health would have had a fit though.

Upon their return though, Clara immediately went looking for the Doctor. She also wanted to avoid Vastra, who seemed to keep sending her away from her best friend, so she went searching carefully. He wasn't in his room, a good sign surely or maybe not, depending on how much he was ignoring Strax's orders. She started going through the house, hoping the Doctor wasn't with Vastra. She needed to see him alone.

Clara finally found him in Vastra's workshop, a room she'd never been in before. Engrossed in some gadget at a workbench, the Doctor didn't realize she was there.

"Resting, I see," Clara remarked with no small amount of irony in her voice.

Startled, the Doctor dropped the equipment he was working on. He gave her an irritated look. "Stop sneaking around like that."

Clara smiled. "Welcome to my world. Now you know how I feel when you come darting out of some dark place in the Tardis."

The Doctor was affronted. "I do not 'dart'. Only moving with purpose." He gave her an intent look. "Did you enjoy your day with Jenny?"

Clara picked up a piece of whatever was disassembled on the table. "Yeah, I really did. Shopping in the 1896. Very interesting." Laying the piece down, she gave the Doctor a searching look. "How are you feeling?"

The Doctor turned back to his project. "I am fine. I am fast reaching the point where that question has been asked enough." Suddenly absorbed in his work, he asked with great casualness, "More to the point, how are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Clara replied quickly. "Really fine. I mean, I was upset for a while yesterday but I'm great now. Good to go whenever you are. Ready for everything." _Overkill, she chided herself irritably. Mouth, stop talking!_

The Doctor put the gadget back down and looked her in the eye. "Clara, it's all right."

Clara felt panic. She had to convince him she was okay. "Doctor, I am really fine, totally recovered from yesterday. I mean, I had another wobble but today, all is well. I am more than ready for our next destination, believe me."

The Doctor however, continued to study her, looking like he would bring out the sonic screwdriver at any time. "Do you want to go home?"

Clara shook her head. "No! Of course not." Indignation rose. "Why would you think that?" The Doctor continued to stay silent, so she felt compelled to go on. "Yeah, right, I was upset. Big time. I was afraid they had killed you." She couldn't entirely repress a shudder. "I can't deny I was frightened."

The Doctor gave her one of those rare grins. "Actually, I didn't feel all that good about it either." He started fiddling again. "Well, if you're sure-"

Clara leaned over his shoulder. "I am. Totally sure. What are you doing? Will we be leaving soon?"

"You don't mind if I finish this for Vastra first, do you?" The Doctor said, irritation coloring his voice. He flinched as he reached for his sonic.

Clara snatched it first and plunked it down on the table closer to him. "Well, fine, I'll go," she huffed. "You were the one asking all the questions this time, not me."

"Yes, and I failed to get any meaningful answers," The Doctor replied, raising his eyes to hers.

Clara threw up her hands. "You know, most of the time you freak out over touchy feely emotional stuff."

The Doctor, with a put upon sigh, returned to work. "Humans. One moment they criticize you for being unfeeling and heartless, the next moment they think you should accept what is clearly a lie and don't ask questions. No wonder I stay away from all of this!" He looked frustrated.

Clara suddenly felt very guilty. "Look, I'm sorry. I just didn't want you to worry. I'm copin' and I'll be fine, really and truly. I didn't come to argue."

The Doctor looked for a moment like he was going to ignore her but finally he lifted his eyes with a small smile on his face. "I didn't want to argue either. I'm just worried about you."

Clara placed her arm around his shoulders and gave him a quick hug, fast enough so he didn't have time to go into histrionics over it. "Fix your stuff. I'll go and see what the others are up to."

"All right," the Doctor replied absently, already back to being involved in his project. Clara went out the door. In the hallway however, she would have liked to slap herself. _Why was the Doctor so much harder to lie to than Danny had been?_

 _ **DW DW DW**_

After a rather strained meal with the group, Clara went upstairs to her room. Nobody was too talkative and the Doctor made it clear he was not finished with his project, so she took the heavy hint and left, slightly annoyed. Sometimes she wondered if he had already deleted her.

 _That was_ _ **so**_ _never gonna happen._

Clara sat and read for a while, the English teacher in her marveling at the brand new Strand magazine in her hands, with a never before seen Sherlock Holmes story debuting. _Time travel definitely had its perks._ She could make a fortune on eBay with this, if she were so inclined. Primarily though, she wanted to hang on to it, just to have it, touch it and read it, again and again.

Absorbed in her story, Clara did not realize how late it had become. Glancing out the window, she was surprised to see it was dark outside. She felt more than a little guilty that she had not bothered to check on the Doctor again. No doubt he was overdoing it as she had sat here reading. Clara could not help but feel a bit of fear regarding the fall of night; every time she closed her eyes she saw the horror of the Androgums again, in total recall with brutal clarity. Could she be resilient in the face of such horror? Or was that just cynicism, trying to get 'over it' this quickly? Not for the first time, she wondered how the Doctor coped with two thousand years of this. No wonder he was, um, eccentric.

At any rate, debating in her room was pointless. Clara decided to seek out the Doctor and try to reassure him (this time without the drama) that she really was all right and more importantly, see how he was doing. Clara knew he was still in pain and someone would have to tell him to stop for the night. _And that was her job._

To her great surprise, the downstairs was dark and silent. Clara glanced automatically at her wrist, then stupidly remembered she didn't wear her wristwatch (for obvious reasons) while shopping today. _It couldn't really be that late,_ she thought, although perhaps the House of Vastra were permanent early to bed, early to rise types. Resigned to another search for the Doctor, as he wasn't in his room naturally, Clara stepped down the stairs, marveling at the silence of the house. Only the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner was the only noise. The shadows loomed as she descended.

That was when it hit her. Something was wrong. So very, very wrong.

Then Clara spotted a pair of oversized feet, horizontal on the floor, sticking out of a doorway ahead.

Rushing down the steps, she saw Strax, obviously unconscious, lying in the door way. There was no rousing him.

 _Okay, think. Priority one, find the Doctor. But calling out would alert the intruder. So, a search first. Maybe she could see or warn Vastra and Jenny as well. Primarily though, she needed to find the Doctor first._

Before she went two steps, Clara heard a shout nearby, then it was suddenly cut off. It sounded like Jenny. Something hit the floor with a thud. Clara turned to run in the direction of the room she'd last seen the Doctor.

As she passed a darkened doorway, a hand savagely grabbed her arm and casually flung her into the wall.

Stunned, Clara slid down to the floor. Only when she tried to see the identity of her attacker the now familiar terror set in.

Leader was back. He sprang over to her and grabbed her savagely by the throat.

 _ **Last chapter coming soon.**_


	4. Chapter 4

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One side of Leader was blackened and burned, but pain evidently did not hinder him. "You! Your mere presence dishonors me. The fact that you still live dishonors my clan, may they feast forever more. After I conclude my business here, I shall dress you out myself for table and roast you slowly over the fragrant wood fire of this planet. I will also have your criminal friend, the Doctor, and take his miserable life. Before that however, I shall force him to watch me feast on you and then he shall die in agony, I assure you."

Clara tried to scream a warning but Leader increased his grip on her throat and effortlessly lifted her in the air, her heels drumming futilely against the wall. Leader then shoved her into the wall a few times for good measure, Clara's head snapping back to make hard contact with the wood behind her.

"Where is he?" Leader roared, holding up her into his face. His breath was rancid and Clara nearly gagged.

Eyes watering and choking, Clara couldn't reply if she'd wanted to. And she most certainly was not going to. She never, ever, give up the Doctor.

Leader grew more incensed. He started shouting. "Where are you, Doctor, you murderous coward! Come out and face the wrath of Leader! Cease your hiding at once! Come out or I shall carve your companion right here. Or will you continue to hide yourself away?"

"I am right here, you pompous carnivore."

Clara was dropped unceremoniously on the floor when Leader heard the Doctor's quiet words. Her gaze drifted upward to the top of the stairs, where the Doctor stood, hands in his pockets, jacket flared out behind him, the very picture of nonchalance.

 _Oh God,_ Clara thought with despair. The Doctor stood there unarmed and seemingly a bit bored that Leader had the bad taste to reappear again.

 _ **DW DW DW**_

"So, you killed everybody else to get back here?" The Doctor came slowly down the stairs, his face a combination of disgust and anger.

"It was a righteous sacrifice. They were pleased to know that I will avenge them."

The Doctor scoffed. "Oh, did you take a vote? Before you vented the engines into the cabin in order to free your pitiful little escape capsule? Decent of them, not to object to being killed."

"You killed them, Doctor, not I. You would not repair the ship properly. I will kill you. The recorder of Deeds Past told us the Time Lords were all dead and we rejoiced. But now I will rejoice even more than before, for you are still alive and I shall take revenge in the names of Chessene and Shockeye, honored ancestors. The story has been passed down in legend, how you killed our clan members so long ago."

The Doctor scoffed. "Oh, I'm sure that's accurate then. The only thing that's constant about Androgums is their treachery and their appetites."

"We have advanced since the old days. The order of Chessene, of which Engineer belonged, has dedicated themselves to the study of technology and how it may be used to better our society."

"Your society," the Doctor spat out, "is dedicated only to your pleasure, which is constant eating. Any decent chef can help you with that."

Bleary eyed, Clara stirred slightly, trying to move away from Leader. The movement only attracted his attention. "Perhaps I should start with her. She is young and prime, excellent for feasting, if a bit small. I can combine her with the other female however and have a quick lunch."

The Doctor produced the sonic screwdriver and aimed it at Leader. "I think not. Why don't you try being vegetarian for a change?"

Further away in the house, all three heard a pounding and furious shouting. Leader looked smug. "When I am finished with you, I shall kill and sample the strange green female I locked in some cubicle. Are they good eating?"

Clara, seeing everything as a blurry out of focus maze, barely contained her disgust.

The Doctor didn't bother. "Back to my original point, I think. Why don't you go find a nice landfill planet, there are plenty of them around in the future. Munch away to your gluttonous content."

Leader smiled, a chilling sight. "No, I prefer fresh kill." He produced something behind his back and suddenly it burst into flames. Clara had no time to warn the Doctor before Leader hurled it at him.

Looking almost bored, the Doctor aimed the sonic screwdriver at it and in midflight the flames went out. He ducked out of the way as the device thudded into the wall behind him. "How quaint; a Tycondrian flame ball. Very effective but so easily disarmed."

Leader roared in frustration and suddenly one of those dangerous multi bladed knives was in his hand. "Let's see you escape this!" Charging the Doctor, he ran up the stairs.

The Doctor jumped out of the way but Leader turned sharply and reaching over, raked the Doctor's arm with the blades. Clara watched helplessly as his coat and white shirt were shredded. His face creased in pain, the Doctor pushed Leader away and managed to put himself between Leader and Clara. "I suppose that whole running with scissors thing is beyond your grasp," he said, grimacing. The stairway had little room to move in. The Doctor came down to stand in front of Clara.

"Always so clever, you arrogant Time Lord!" Leader charged again but this time the Doctor twisted something on the sonic and the blades started vibrating in Leader's hand. He was forced to drop it when it began slicing his own hands.

Clara felt like cheering.

"I will destroy this place and a good part of this planet," Leader howled. He drew out a small box and flipped a switch. "You recognize this?"

The Doctor looked annoyed. "Yes. An old Rutan ion bomb, something the Rutans stopped using centuries ago because it was too unstable. Yet, here you are, fiddling with something you cannot control. Again."

Clara watched helplessly as Leader hurled it at the Doctor, who caught it, made some fast adjustments, and was going to throw it out the window but Leader pounced on him and caught his arm, savagely twisting it behind the Doctor's back. The bomb fell on the floor and the Doctor kicked it away, managing to shove Leader back as well.

The bomb actually came to rest just within reach of Clara's foot. Looking over to the struggle, she saw Leader slam his hand into the Doctor's wounded side. While the Doctor struggled for breath, Leader fought his way clear and charged over to Clara.

Rising up, Clara stretched her leg until her foot was able to kick the bomb into the parlor. She would have done more but the Androgum shoved her down and literally ran over her, chasing his bomb. With a snarl, he dove for it.

Vastra came charging out, broadsword in hand and murder in her eyes.

"Vastra! Get down!" the Doctor yelled. Leader picked up device as the Doctor flung himself over Clara.

The explosion was deafening.

 _ **DW DW DW**_

Clara awoke in a strange bed until she remembered she was at Madame Vastra's house. Immediately, she froze; somebody was sitting in a chair next to her bed. Hazy images of terror combined with a sleep muddled brain almost compelled her to bolt out of bed screaming.

Finally the fog cleared and she realized it was the Doctor slumped in the chair, next to a softly glowing lamp.

Clara sat up slowly; the Doctor was asleep but he looked dreadfully uncomfortable. She also noted the bandages that showed below his purple shirt cuff; Leader had indeed inflicted more damage with his latest deadly toys. The Doctor looked like he had even more bruises than yesterday. To her dismay however, Clara found her short term memory hazy.

Moving slowly to get out of bed, the Doctor suddenly shot awake, nearly leaping out of the chair. "Clara! What are you doing?"

Biting back a smile, (his hair was a disheveled mess), she said, "I was getting up to check on you."

Confusion reigned briefly on his face. "Why? I am fine. The question is, how are you feeling?"

"What happened to Leader? He is gone, right?" Clara asked cautiously.

"Gone for forever." The Doctor said, with just a hint of smugness.

She sighed in relief. "Then I am fine." Clara patted the side of her bed. "Come talk to me."

Moving cautiously, the Doctor headed for the chair, but Clara grabbed his hand and pulled him down on the side of the bed. "Sit here."

"Yes, boss," he said meekly.

"Now what happened? And what happened to your arm? How badly are you hurt?"

"Leader is dead, the others are all right, got scratched and not bad." The Doctor wore a satisfied smile. "Anything else?"

She barely restrained from punching him in the good arm. "Actually, yes!" Grumbling, Clara sat up straighter in bed and the Doctor pulled the pillows up behind her so she could lean back. "Thank you. Now, tell me what happened. And don't leave anything out!"

Looking put upon (but secretly pleased Clara was showing her old spirit), the Doctor began. "Leader got the jump on Jenny and Strax, for which I will never let Strax hear the end of that. Vastra got locked in her bedroom; she made a mess of that, trying to get out. Huge repair bill there." He looked appalled at the thought.

Clara gritted her teeth. "Doctor!"

"What? Oh, right. Well, Leader tried to kill me, you and everybody else who was breathing. Only thing is, he had more weapons than before. Really, these Androgums are much more advanced than the last time I met them. Then, it was 'you die, me eat,' sort of foolishness."

"How is your arm?" Clara asked quietly.

The Doctor glanced down at his left arm. "I have a few more cuts, that's all. Just an annoyance really." At Clara's look of open disbelief, he sighed. "Yes, some of them are deep and I lost a bit more blood. But in the grand scheme of things, it's going to be okay, Clara. Not worth your concern."

Clara ignored that. She would be concerned and watchful, no matter what he said. "Did he really kill all of his own people?"

"Had to, in order to use the escape pod. I didn't touch it; the propulsion engine was damaged. Vented fiery exhaust right into their ship." The Doctor looked like he was feeling a bit guilty. "I never thought he would go that far. Only room for one. Which made it a rubbish escape capsule, if I do say so."

"Don't you feel guilty over him," Clara said firmly. "He made his choice. What was that last thing he used?

"Oh, he tried to use an old Rutan weapon, a primitive sort of ion bomb. I used the sonic screwdriver to reverse the polarity and to buy us some time. Long story short, his weapon exploded on him. One of the reasons the Rutans stopped using those bombs was the unpredictability. This one should have leveled the block, at least. Instead, it made a decent sized hole in the floor and scorched the walls. Another repair bill to the house," he added gloomily.

"Jenny and Strax are okay?"

"Yes, although Jenny has a lingering headache. She will be fine in a few days. Strax is prowling around now, being a nuisance."

"He's taking care of your arm, right? Oh, and how is your side? And just straight answers, please." Clara put on her best 'firm teacher' look.

"Yes, he is being completely tiresome, trying to cover up the fact that a heavy footed Androgum got the better of him. My side is nearly healed and my arm will be fine in a couple of days, due to superior-"

"Time Lord physiology, yeah, yeah," Clara said fondly.

The Doctor's expression turned serious however. "My hearts nearly stopped when I saw you kicking that bomb away."

"Well, my heart nearly stopped when I saw that bomb lying next to me," Clara retorted.

He gave her a small smile. "Point taken. It was quick thinking however."

Clara made a small sound of disgust. "Not really. Not gonna lay there and say, ooh's there a bomb here, somebody help me. I was just afraid I didn't get it far enough away."

They both laughed a bit. Studying her face, the Doctor asked quietly, "How are you doing, Clara?"

She considered. "Actually, I'm feeling pretty good. I feel rested, I don't have a headache and I didn't even have bad dreams - hang on, did you do something to me? Did you do that finger to the forehead thing, like you did to little Rupert?"

"No." He didn't, however, meet her eyes.

"Oh, you did, didn't you?" Clara felt her ire rising. "No wonder I can only recall bits and pieces. Look, I can handle myself, you know. You don't have to worry about me every time we set foot outside of the Tardis. I know I acted like a wimp the other day but I wasn't really that scared, just so you know."

"I was," the Doctor said quietly.

"Huh," Clara replied, less than intelligently, she thought with great annoyance.

"Clara, I didn't do this because I thought you were weak or couldn't take it. Two of my previous selves had an encounter with the Androgums. My second self was turned into an Androgum briefly. It was not an experience I cared to repeat." The Doctor shuddered, then leaned forward, his gaze intense. "The mind touch was something I could do for you. All I did was to make some of those graphic images in your mind a bit hazy and help you to relax and get some rest. I didn't tamper with your memories; well, much, but when you close your eyes tonight, you won't remember that gruesome cage quite so clearly, I just wanted to give you some serenity, and a release from the terror and injuries the Androgums inflicted on you. That was all." He leaned over and placed his hand over hers, his gaze intense. "I didn't want you to leave me because of this."

Clara was touched; she knew all too well how he hated emotional declarations. "It would take much more than this to make me leave you, you know that, right?"

"Androgums are pretty intense. I couldn't blame you if you decided that was enough." The Doctor looked anxious and a bit sad, making Clara wonder anew if there had been some before who couldn't take it and left.

"Well, that is so not gonna happen, so you can stop worrying about that." Clara chuckled softly. "And here I was, afraid **you** would want to get rid of **me** , being all clingy and crying."

The Doctor gave her one of his rare, shy smiles. "As if I could ever roam about the universe without the Boss." His expression turned serious again. "Please don't be mad or sad. I'm not up to the bulging eyes right now," the Doctor said in a curiously hopeful tone, his own eyes shining with hope.

Smiling, (she could never stay mad at him for too long) Clara said, "Okay. And thank you. This **one** time."

The Doctor slumped in relief. "Don't mention it," he said with heartfelt sincerity.

Her expression softened. "When's the last time you got any sleep?" Clara asked.

The Doctor looked dismissive. "You know I don't need sleep."

"I know you don't require **much** sleep, when you're healthy, that is. Which you're not." Clara scooted over and pulled out one of her pillows from behind her back. "Lie down here and rest a bit. Or at least talk to me."

The Doctor looked annoyed and immediately started to get up from the bed. "I'm all right, Clara. Besides, I've got a lot to do. Vastra's home defense system is in a shambles. Plus the entire house was damaged by the bomb. Might be structural damage."

"And it will all wait. The house hasn't fallen in yet. Come on, Doctor. Just for a bit. Then we'll get something to eat." Clara's face clouded for a bit. "Um, maybe just eggs, though."

The Doctor clearly wanted to leave the whole subject behind and, true to form, started to go to the door. "Right, let's go. Eggs are fine."

"Not now," Clara insisted. She caught his arm, and opened her eyes very wide, very deliberately. Inflating them, as he would say. "Please."

The Doctor gave her a look and grumbled but finally did lie down beside her. Lying stiffly, eyes wide open, hands folded on his chest, he affected a put upon 'why am I wasting my time' here pose, so Clara retaliated by keeping up a constant chattering about everything she could think of, including what to wear, a subject she knew bored him instantly. As she fully expected, his mind soon drifted away, tuning her out as he began thinking about all of Vastra's repair projects.

Eventually though, even exhausted Time Lords who don't need sleep finally do succumb.

Clara tossed half of her blanket over him and snuggled closely, listening to his twin heart beats. There was no way Clara was going to let the Doctor pull that finger to the forehead trick very often on her, but, this time, it was okay.

Feeling content, she put her arm over the Doctor's chest. "This way you don't leave without I know it," she whispered softly.

"Many times I've tried."

Clara raised her head, to see the Doctor looking at her with a bit of a devilish grin. "Why aren't you asleep?" She asked in some exasperation.

He gave her a bland look. "Somebody insists on talking."

"Oh shut up!" Clara suddenly had a thought. "Are you hungry?" Maybe she was forcing him to hang around when he was starved?

The Doctor gave her a sideways look. "No. You?"

"Oddly enough, no. I'm not sure I'll eat again for some time, I think," Clara replied earnestly.

"You go to sleep then. Get some rest," the Doctor said.

"No, you go to sleep first, then I will consider it. Otherwise you'll run off the minute my eyes close."

The Doctor looked a bit miffed and Clara knew that was indeed his plan. "The words of the control freak."

"Yeah, whatever. I think it is more like the words of a smart woman."

The Doctor smiled. "Whatever."

Much later, Vastra, wondering how they were doing, quietly looked in from the doorway and saw them lying together, both peacefully asleep. She smiled and crept out silently.

 _Thank the Goddess. All was well here._


End file.
